Corset-stay fastener.



I. M. MITCHELL.

COR$ET STAY FASTENER.

APPLICATION FILED 81221217, 1912.

Patented Dec. 23, 1913.

w m M H COLUMBIA t'LANoallAt-ll 60.. w \SNINOTON. I). C.

CTR

UNTT STATES ATEN T UFFTU t.

IDA M. MITCHELL, DE LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.

CORSET-STAY FASTENER.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

lie it known that I, Ina H. MITCHELL, citizen of the United States,residing at Los Angeles, in the county of Los Angelcs and State ofCalifornia, have invented certain new. and useful Improvements inCorset-Stay Fasteners, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvei'nents in corset stay fasteners andthe object in view is the provision of means for effectively retainingthe stay against creeping within the garment while at the same timeassuring protection to the surrounding fabric.

\Vith this and other objects in view, as will in part hereinafter be setforth and in part become apparent, the invention comprises certain novelconstructions, combinations and arrangements of parts as hereinspecified and claimed.

In the accompanying drawing: Figin-e 1 is a top plan view of thefastener embodying the features of the present invention and illustratedas applied to a garment. Fig. 2 is a similar view of the same detachedand in its extended condition, the serrations outstanding edgewise as inthe blank before being bent at right angles. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal,vertical, central section taken on the plane indicated by 2-2 of Fig. 2.Fig. 4 is a transverse section taken on the plane indicated by line 4l-1of Fig. 3. Figs. 5 and 6 are plan views of the respective sections of aslightly modified embodiment, the serrations outstanding as in the blankbefore being bent at right angles to the body.

leferring to the drawing by numerals, 1 indicates a body consistingpreferably of a strip of relatively thin material, preferably flexible,non-rusting metal. The body 1 is shaped and dimensioned to conform tothe particular stay which it is adapted to engage, ordinarily assumingthe form of an elongated strip of sufficient length to be bentapproximately midway of its length for forming a pocket-like clipadapted to inclose the end portion of a stay. Along each of itslongitudinal edges, the strip or body 1 is serrated to form teeth 2, 2.The teeth 2 along the edge of the strip 1 from its middle line to oneend are spaced relative to the corresponding teeth for the remainingportion of the strip so that the former teeth may be accommodated in thespaces between the latter, whereby when the strip is folded into theform of a pocket, those teeth 2 Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed September 17, 1912.

Patented Dec. 23, 1913.

Serial No. 720,876.

along the edges of one half or one section of the fastener may be passedbetween the teeth 2 along the edges of the other half or section of thefastener, and all the teeth may therefore be bent: between the body 1for locking the edges of the body to the stay when the body is folded.the teeth 2 being set at a slight inward incline to the flat faces ofthe body and in operation. being caused to penetrate the material of thegarn'ient in which the engaged stay is disposed. After the strip or body1 has been bent and applied, the teeth 2 are forced through the fabricand past the edges of the inclosed stay, the penetrating ends of thepoints striking the inner face of the opposite section of body 1 andbeing bent inwardly thereby to a position elasping the stay. Body 1 isof a slightly greater width than the interposed stay, so that the teeth,owing to their inclination. readily strike the inner face of theopposing section of the body when the teeth are forced through thefabric and past the stay. which may be accomolished by hammering orotherwise sub jecting the parts to sntlicicnt pressure. Thus it will benoted that the fastener is afforded an effective purchase in thesurrounding fabric, while a smooth, even surface of the fastener isexposed. and no protruding points are left in evidence.

Each end of strip 1 is serrated to form teeth 3 which, before the stripis applied, are disposed at substantially right angles to the body ofthe strip and which on application penetrate the fabric until the pointscontact with the material of the inclosed stay whereupon the teeth 3 arestruck over by a blow delivered to the respective ends of the strip.Each tooth 3, as clearly seen in Fig. 3, while extending substantiallyat right angles to the body 1 is preferably very slightly inclinedtoward the center of the body so as to insure bending of the teethtoward the body when the teeth engage the surface of the inclosed stay.

At various points in the length of the body 1, teeth 1, 1 are preferablystruck from the material of the body, each of the teeth 4: being struckup su'iliciently to extend substantially at right angles to the body 1and preferably given a very slight incline away from the aperture leftin the material by the striking out of the tooth so as to insure each ofthe teeth 1 bending away from its respective aperture when coming intocontact with the inclosed stay. It is to be noted that eeth 2, 3 and aoutstand from the body 1 prior to its application to the garment andduring the course of application, the teeth 3 and at penetratecontiguous port-ions of the garment until they contact with the inclosedstay and. are turned in the direction of their inclination untilflattened between the body 1 and the stay whereby the material of thegarment covering the stay is bound or compressed between the teeth 3 and4 and the body 1. Thus the fastener is efi'ectively retained againstplay relative to the garment and as effectively retains the inclosedstay.

1 preferably employ a fastener at each end of each stay, and frequentlyit is desirable to employ one or more fasteners at intermediate pointsof a given stay. To facili tate application of the fastener at anintermediate point, 1 preferably divide the body, producing twocooperative sections each of the form seen in Figs. l and 5 at 1. Eachsection 1 has its edges provided with teeth 2 similar in constructionand operation to the teeth 2 and has its ends formed with teeth 3. Inapplying the fastener at an intermediate point, the respective sections1 are disposed on opposite sides of the garment with the inclosed staybetween the sections, and the sections are forced toward each otheruntil the teeth 2 lap the stay, and may be clamped after the mannerdescribed with respect to teeth 2. The teeth 3 are forced to their finalposition in eX- actly the same manner as teeth 3,

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is:

A stay fastener comprising sections of sheet material adapted to bedisposed on opposits sides of a stay and outside of ,he fabricsurrounding the stay, each of said sections being formed withpenetrating teeth at its edges, and with a pair of teeth struck upwithin its body and spaced from each other, one of the teeth of saidpair having its point directed for causing the tooth when applied toextend longitudinally of the section in one direction, and the other ofthe last named teeth being oppositely directed.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

IDA M. MITCHELL.

lVitnesses lilABEL H. MOKEEN, l/V. S. EWING.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. 0.

